Apparatus for producing oxids of nitrogen form the air.



Patented Mar. 1, 1911).

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L l l l l l l l l l 1". 1. DU PONT. APPARATUS PoR PRODUGING OXIDS 0F NITROGEN FROM THE AIR.

APPLICATION FILED APB.. 17,1909.

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FRANCIS 1.- DU PONT, E WILMINeToN DELAWARE, ASSINoR TofrHEfE'. 1I. fnUPoNT :DE NEMOURS POWDER COMPANY, 0E WiLiviINGToN, EELAWARE, AcORRQRATIoN V4 Q 0F NEW JERSEY.

. APPARATUS EoR PRonUcINe` oXInS or NITROGENFEROM AIR.

To all whomfitmay concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS I, DU PONT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilmington, county ofNewcastle and State of Delaware,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Producing OXids of .Nitrogen from the Air, of

' Whichthe following is a full, clearand exact escriptioin reference being had tothe acco'i panyingdrawings, which form a. part of this specification. Speaking generally, 'I subject the air contiguous to acooling medium 'to the action of a moving arc whereby the -high temperature of the air produced by the arc is immediately andrapidly reduced, thusproducing the best possible conditions for lthe production of oxids of nitrogentroni the air. In order to, produce aV continuous and not disconnected arc, the air container should be of silica or other highly refractoryuniaterial which is not a conductor of electricity.y

Preferably I pass the air through a tube formed of'- silica in which are electrodes between which an arc is formed. lSurround- Y ing this silica tube is a glass tube through which a cooling medium, such, for instance, as a cooling liquid, is passed, thus forming a water jacket, as it were, for ythe silica tube. Surrounding, this cooling tube, in proximity to the arc, is a rotary magnetic field, which rotates the arcaround the inner surface ofv .jected to cooling` action and its temperature rapidly reduced. j .l

I will now describe an apparatus for carrying out my invention illustrated in section in the accompanying drawing, and then :j point outV the invention in the claims.

supply,-not shown.

with respect to the cap. The electrodes are' a isa silica tube within which are thev electrodesb connected witha source of current c 1s acap applied to each end ofthe tube a, the upper cap having the passage cl and the lower cap the passage e. Between the cap c the tube a is a packing f tightly inserted to seal the connection at that oint. The electrodes b are tightly inserte 'and thus sealed provided with` proper feeding `A mechanism.'

nect with the' space between the inner wall specification of Lettersatent. Patented lMar. 1, 1910. j Appiiea'tipn filed April ,17, 190s. serial No.`4so,eo2.

respectively, the passages Zand e which c'on- Aof tube a and the electrodes b. The tube a is surrounded by a tube 7L, preferably formed of glass in order to see the operation within Y thevtube a. The ends ot this tube lz, are.

closed by the caps z', one cap having the` inlet vopening' j=and the other the outlet 7c-for the magnetic iield in action, the arc is caused to i comingin'contact and acting upon successive portions of the air in contact withsaid tube.` The are at once highly heats such air. "As soon as lthe arc passes from any portionfof the air, such airl being in` contact with the wall of tube a, which is subjected at all times to the action of the cooling niedium in;tube h, has the high temperature produced by-the arcV immediately and rapidly` reducedi' By` practically simultaneous, thus more perfectly and with greater certainty forming thezo'xids current should be sufficient to prevent disruption bythe magnetic field, and may be' readily determined for any given strength one hundred pounds. The oxidsof nitrogen the airunacted on pass along the tube inthe which they maybe led into water where they are converted.- into ordinary manner. Q

The method hereinbefore described forms the subject-matter of claims in a certain-apthis operationy the action ohighly heatingand cooling any-given portion of the air isof magnetic field.A I also force the air in atI apressure from'atmospheric to that, say, of

spaceibetween -the electrode and the wall ofv`v the tubeescaping by the passage d fromvnitric acid, -in thev rotate aroundthe inner periphery of tube a of nitrogen from theair. Thevoltage of the' thus produced are the lower'oxids and with.

be actedvon is-adapted to pass, electrodes be tween which an arc, longitudinally with respect to which said surface, is adapted to pass, and a rotary magnetic field adjacent to the arc space, said magnetic field b'ing of strength suflicient to deflect the arc against i said surface. y 2. An apparatus for producing oxids of nitrogen from air, comprising in combination a surface which is a non-conductor of electricity, in contact with which the air to be acted on is adapted to pass, electrodes between 'Which an arc, longitudinally with respect to which said surface, is adapted to pass, means to cool said surface, and a rotary magnetic field adjacent to the are space,

said magnetic field being of strength sutii- -cient to deflect the`arcagainst said surface.

3. An apparatus for producing oxids of nitrogen from air, comprising in combination a surface which is a non-conductor of electricity, in contact with which'the air to be acted on is adapted to pass, electrodes between which an arc, longitudinally with respect to which -said surface, is adapted to pass, means to directly cool said surface, and a rotary magnetic eld adjacent to the are space, said magnetic field being of'strength sufficient to deflect the arc against said surface.

4. An apparatus for producing oxids of nitrogen from air, comprising in combination a container, the inner surface of which is a nonconductor of electricity, electrodes in said container between which an arc, longitudinally with respect to the inner sur.

ace of said container, is adapted to pass, and a rotary magnetic field exterior to the container adjacent to the arc space, said magnetic field being of strength suiiicient. to

defiect the arc against the inner surface of said container.

5. An apparatus forproducing oxids of nitrogen from air, comprising in combina,- tion a container, the inner surface of which s 'a non-conductor of electricity, electrodes in said container between which an arc, longitudinally-with respect to the inner surface of'said container, is adapted to pass, means to cool the walls of said container, and a rotary magnetic field exterior to the container adjacent to the arc space, said magnetic field being of' strength sufiicient to defiect the arc against the inner surface of said container.

7 In an apparatus for producing oxids of nitrogen from air, in combination, a silica tube surrounding electrodes between which \an`arc is to be established, and means to directly cool sa/id tube.

8. An apparatus for producing oxids of nitrogen from air, comprising in combination a silica container, electrodes in said silica-container between which an arc, longitudinally with respect to the inner Walls of said silica container, is adapted to pass, and a rotary magnetic field exterior to the silica container adjacent to the arc space, said magnetic field being of strength sufficient to deflect sai arc against the inner walls of said container.

9. An apparatus for producing oxids of nitrogen from air, comprising in combination a silica container, electrodes in said silica container between which an arc, longitudinally with respect to the inner walls of said silica container, is adapted to pass, means to cool the walls of said silica container, and a rotary magnetic field exterior to the ysilica container adjacent to the arc space, said magnetic field being of strength sufficient to defect said arc against the inner Walls of said container.

10. An apparatus for producing oxids of nitrogen from air, comp ising in combination a silica container, electrodes in said silica container between which an arc, longitudinally with respect to the inner walls of said silica container, is adapted to pass, means to directly cool the walls of said silica container, and a rotary magnetic field exterior to the -silica container adjacent to the arc space, said magnetic field being of strength sufficient to deflect said arc against the inner walls of said container.

In testimony ofwhich invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, on this 14th day of April, 1907.'

l :FRANCIS I. DU PONT.

Witnesses:

M. M. 'HAMiL'rorn 1MM. URiAN.

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